On 6 January 2026, Cape Town Helicopters Offshore Division and Global Medical Safety and Risk Solutions (GMSRS), through its Medevac Africa division, were placed on standby to conduct a helicopter medical evacuation of an injured seafarer aboard a bulk carrier transiting southbound along the West Coast.
Following coordination with key stakeholders including the vessel’s Master, shipping agents, Port Health, Department of Health EMS, and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Medevac 04, an AS365 Dauphin helicopter, was prepared for an offshore rendezvous approximately 60 nautical miles north-west of Cape Town, near Saldanha Bay.
The activation followed a trauma-related injury sustained onboard. Flight operations planning and medical tasking were conducted jointly by Cape Town Helicopters flight operations and the GMSRS Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), ensuring readiness across aviation, medical, and coordination functions.
At approximately 18h30 on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, Medevac 04 departed Cape Town to rendezvous with the vessel. Due to the prevailing sea state, two Medevac Africa medical rescuers were inserted onto the vessel via hoist. The patient was assessed and stabilised onboard before being packaged and secured for extraction.
The patient and medical team were hoisted safely into the aircraft, where ongoing monitoring and treatment continued during the return flight. Medevac 04 landed at approximately 20h20 at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, utilising the rooftop helideck. The patient was handed over in a stable condition to the Emergency Centre team for definitive care. The operation concluded successfully at 21h13.
This mission marks the first operational helicopter medical evacuation conducted under the new partnership between Cape Town Helicopters and GMSRS, demonstrating an integrated, compliant, and coordinated aeromedical capability supporting offshore and maritime operations along the South African coastline.
GMSRS, through its Medevac Africa division, in partnership with Cape Town Helicopters, operates the AS365 Dauphin twin-engine helicopter as a fully registered and licensed air ambulance and search and rescue platform. Operations are conducted in compliance with the South African Civil Aviation Authority and the Department of Health licensing inspectorate, and in alignment with national search and rescue frameworks.
The successful outcome of Medevac 04 is credited to the professionalism and coordination of the Cape Town Helicopters flight operations teams, the GMSRS Emergency Operations Centre, and the Medevac Africa medical rescue personnel, working seamlessly alongside national maritime and health stakeholders.
Media enquiries
media@gmsrs.com
Further information
Cape Town Helicopters – www.helicopterscapetown.co.za
Global Medical Safety and Risk Solutions (Pty) Ltd – www.gmsrs.com
Emergency medical rescue and SAR activations
24/7 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC): +27 87 22 33 180
